Dog attack on horse in Sandwell leaves girl 'traumatised' and family with £1,000+ vet bill
A West Bromwich family will have to pay over £1,000 in vet bills after their horse was attacked by a dog whose owner was walking it off-lead.
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Richard Swallow's daughter, Sophie, was riding her sister's horse on a field at the back of the family's house when a grey dog, believed to be a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, ran at the horse, which had the 10-year-old on her back, and attacked.
The incident on Bank Holiday Sunday left Talia the horse with 'flesh hanging' from both sides of her underbelly and a bloody nose and chest.
Richard says he is grateful that he 'still has a daughter'.
The 41-year-old said: "I was talking to the neighbours holding my two-year-old when I heard what had happened. I had to hand my son over to the neighbour and run down the path to try and find the dog walker.
"Sophie had managed to bring Talia into the garden to safety – we're lucky that we have a gate at the bottom of it that leads out onto a field in Sandwell Valley.
"My first thought was to check Sophie, and luckily she hadn't got bitten, but she was in hysterics. Then I looked at Talia, she had two deep cuts on her belly, flesh hanging off her sides, nose and mouth bleeding."
